ChatterBank1 min ago
What The Best Type Of Fabric For Dress Making?
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I'm quite handy with a sewing machine.. And a friend recently asked me if I'd thought about making any dresses. I was just wondering on what the best types of fabrics to use.. ie. 100% cotton etc.. Thanks x
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Hi, Ellie......I wouldn't go with 100% cotton but really it depends on the style of dress. The pattern will tell you which fabrics are suitable for the chosen dress....and that's a good guide.
If you are new to dressmaking start with fabrics that don't fray too much... one less thing to think about til you're more experienced.
If you are new to dressmaking start with fabrics that don't fray too much... one less thing to think about til you're more experienced.
Like Gness said, it depends on the type of dress you want to achieve. For starts you'll get best resutls by working with a pattern, and I'd advise you first of all to check the sizing used by the pattern make you choose. Burda for example seem to size theirs on a different scale to most others (McCalls, Vogue, Simplicity etc).
You'll find on pattern envelopes it has a list of suggested fabrics.....basically you need to assess whether the style requires crisp, floaty, stretchy or floppy fabric to look like what's on the envelope. And it really s worth paying heed to the advice as the garments are specifically designed for the fabric type suggested.
Very stretchy fabrics can be nightmares to machine sew, so best avoided to begin with. eg you'd think a T shirt is dead easy to make, but unless you've got the right equipment, no way.
Skills like inserting zips need a little practice, but aren't insurmountable and there are loads of youtube videos to help.
Lastly, be prepared for not liking what you make. The best way to cushion the woe of this is to make your first go out of something like an old curtain or sheet, with the aim of using this to check the fit and feel. This is called 'making a toile'.
And then when you've adapted to toile to just right, you can invest in some gorgeous more pricey fabric.
Lastly, if you've got some frinds of similar dress size, you can share patterns which is very economical.
You'll find on pattern envelopes it has a list of suggested fabrics.....basically you need to assess whether the style requires crisp, floaty, stretchy or floppy fabric to look like what's on the envelope. And it really s worth paying heed to the advice as the garments are specifically designed for the fabric type suggested.
Very stretchy fabrics can be nightmares to machine sew, so best avoided to begin with. eg you'd think a T shirt is dead easy to make, but unless you've got the right equipment, no way.
Skills like inserting zips need a little practice, but aren't insurmountable and there are loads of youtube videos to help.
Lastly, be prepared for not liking what you make. The best way to cushion the woe of this is to make your first go out of something like an old curtain or sheet, with the aim of using this to check the fit and feel. This is called 'making a toile'.
And then when you've adapted to toile to just right, you can invest in some gorgeous more pricey fabric.
Lastly, if you've got some frinds of similar dress size, you can share patterns which is very economical.
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